Calero '14 A-meet
Calero 2014 A-meet

O' in the Oaks 2014

Orienteering USA Sanctioned A-meet

2014 Western States Orienteering Championships

Calero County Park¹

Date: Sep. 27 - 28, 2014
Location: San Jose, CA
Event Director: - 650.941.8251
Course Setters: Theo Verhoeven, Cedric Lasfargues
Registrar:
Type: A; OUSA sanctioned 2-day Classic A-meet with recreational courses for beginners and others who do not want to compete; this event will be the 2014 Western States Orienteering Championships


Course Setters' Notes

By Theo Verhoeven and Cedric Lasfargues

Terrain

Calero is very hilly. The advanced courses are very physical, involving significant climb and contouring. Steep hillsides with fallen leaves can be very slippery​—​cleats are recommended.

The advanced courses use the entire Calero map over the two days.

Out-of-Bounds Areas

The map includes several out-of-bounds areas. They are off limits to all runners to protect California's serpentine rock.

Day-1 Course Information

General

Advanced Courses

Day #1 uses the more wooded area of the park, including the southern portion that has not been used yet for local events.

Make sure to read the Map section below to see all the details about the mapping specifics, and carefully read the paragraph about the mapping of trees.

Note regarding Brown Course: Due to the distance to this new area and the need to avoid the out-of-bounds areas, the Day-1 Brown course is a bit long. Please plan accordingly and ensure you give yourself plenty of time to get to the Start area. (The Day-2 Brown course is shorter with less climb.)

White/Yellow/Orange Courses

The beginner's courses will take place in the most open area of the park. Take appropriate protection against the sun, as there will not be much shade.

The White course is entirely on trails, and will allow beginners to learn how to compare the map with the features encountered along the course.

The White and Yellow courses have a significant amount of climb, respectively 200 m and 180 m. One third of the climb will be on one long leg.

The Orange course has relatively easy navigation through the mostly open land. Make sure to read the Map section below to see all the details about the mapping specifics, and carefully read the paragraph about the mapping of trees.

Starts and Finishes

Advanced Courses

Start is 1.2 kilometer, with 120 m climb, from registration. Please allow at least 30 minutes to get to the Start.

There is a 5–10-minute walk from the Finish to the parking lot.

White/Yellow/Orange Courses

The Day-1 Start is 750 m from the parking lot and registration area, with 30 m climb. Please allow at least 15 minutes to get to the Start.

The way to the Start will partially be following trails, but will also be following an off-trail route marked with streamers, through the open land. Pay good attention to the streamers and flags to get to the Start!

There is a 5–10-minute walk from the Finish to the parking lot.

Water

Advanced Courses

There will be two water controls on the Brown and Green courses; four on Red and Blue. Please hydrate well before starting. Depending on the temperature, and your expected time on the course, you might consider carrying additional water.

White/Yellow/Orange Courses

One water stop will be provided on each of the White and Yellow courses, and two water stops will be on the Orange course. Do not hesitate to carry extra water if desired.

Day-1 Course Statistics

    Course    Length    Climb   Controls   Water Stops
    White     3.3 km    200 m      10           1   
    Yellow    3.3 km    180 m      11           1
    Orange    4.5 km    230 m      15           2
    Brown     4.3 km    215 m      12           2
    Green     5.5 km    275 m      14           2
    Red       7.4 km    410 m      18           3
    Blue      9.2 km    520 m      24           3

Recreational participants should be aware that the course lengths shown are the cumulative straight-line distances between controls. Your actual distance will be somewhat longer. The climb numbers represent the amount of ascending that would be done on the "optimum route" (in the Course Setters' opinion), without regard for any descending.

Day-2 Course Information

General

Advanced Courses

Day #2 uses more open land. All the courses have some overlap between both days. The courses emphasize route choice and include several longer legs.

All Day-2 advanced courses include the same first leg, a 115 m trail run to a thicket along the trail. The Red course on Day #2 has one control on a metal post with a small sign. This man-made feature appears as a black × on both the map and the control description.

White/Yellow/Orange Courses

The beginner's courses will be located in the eastern part of the park, which is generally mostly open, but has some nice shaded stretches.

The White course is entirely on trails, and will allow beginners to learn how to compare the map with the features encountered along the course.

The White and Yellow courses have half of their total amount of climb going to their first control.

The Orange course is relatively physical, and will offer good orienteering techniques and route choices. The Orange course on Day #2 has one control on a metal post with a small sign. This man-made feature appears as a black × on both the map and the control description.

Along the Orange course, there will be two crossings through barbed-wire fences. The possible crossing points are marked on the map with a crossing symbol ")(", but these crossings are not mandatory. During the race, you will find these crossings marked with streamers on the wires. Pay good attention while crossing these fences.

Starts and Finishes

Advanced Courses

The advanced courses use remote starts. The distance to the Start from the parking lot 750 m with 25 m climb. Please allow at least 15 minutes to get to the Start.

There is a 5-minute walk from the Finish to the parking lot.

White/Yellow/Orange Courses

The Start is 650 m from the parking lot and registration area, with 70 m climb. Please allow at least 20 minutes to get to the Start. The last hill to the start is strenuous.

The way to the Start will partially be following trails, but will also be following an off-trail route marked with streamers, through the open land. Pay good attention to the streamers and flags to get to the Start!

There is a 5-minute walk from the Finish to the parking lot.

Water

Advanced Courses

There are two water controls on the Brown and Green courses; three on Red and Blue. Please hydrate well before your run. Depending on the temperature, and your expected time on the course, you might consider carrying additional water.

White/Yellow/Orange Courses

One water stop will be provided on each of the White and Yellow courses, and two water stops will be on the Orange course. Do not hesitate to carry extra water if desired.

Day-2 Course Statistics

    Course    Length    Climb   Controls   Water Stops
    White     3.0 km    100 m      10           1   
    Yellow    2.9 km    120 m      11           1
    Orange    4.3 km    200 m      14           2
    Brown     3.6 km    175 m       9           2
    Green     5.4 km    260 m      15           2
    Red       7.5 km    350 m      20           4
    Blue      9.8 km    510 m      24           4

Recreational participants should be aware that the course lengths shown are the cumulative straight-line distances between controls. Your actual distance will be somewhat longer. The climb numbers represent the amount of ascending that would be done on the "optimum route" (in the Course Setters' opinion), without regard for any descending.

Hazards

Horses: Please watch for horses on the trails. Give them the right-of-way. Do not run closely past a horse. If you are on a narrow trail, step aside and let the horse and rider pass. Above all, don't startle them. We don't want anyone to be thrown off a frightened horse.

Poison Oak: Poison oak is prevalent in the park. Most has lost its leafs, and may not be easy to recognize at this time of the year. It may appear as short sticks, often as easily runnable undergrowth. The sticks are still poisonous though. Take precautions (wearing long pants and long sleeves) and wash yourself properly after the race.

Stickers and Seeds: Open areas have long grass with seeds that are sharp and work their way into your ankles and feet through shoes and socks. Gaitors are recommended, especially on Day 2.

Fences & Gullies: All advanced courses will need to cross multiple fences & gullies. Please be vigilant and take care when crossing any fence or gully. If a gully looks too dangerous to cross, there likely is a safer crossing close by. Read below for more details on fences.

Wildlife: Calero has a variety of wildlife, including deer, mountain lions, and rattle snakes. Ticks are present in the park and may carry Lyme disease.

Heat: Calero has steep terrain, and September temperatures might be in the 70s and 80s. Runners should stay hydrated and run within their limits.

Map

The map scale is 1:7,500 for Green and Brown, and 1:10,000 for Red and Blue. The contour interval on all maps is 25 feet.

The ongoing drought in California has changed the appearance of many features. We have updated the map in many locations, but some inaccuracies might remain. Please read the following notes carefully.

Lake Level: The lake level is significantly lower than mapped. While this should not affect your route choices, it is something you must pay attention to.

Vegetation: Due to the drought, the vegetation is often less dense than mapped. Care should be taken when using vegetation boundaries as your sole navigation aid.

Trees: There are many unmapped ruined trees, fallen trees, and rootstocks, while some mapped ruined/fallen trees/rootstocks might have mostly eroded.

Boulders: Generally only larger rocks are mapped. This is, however, not always used consistently and, at times, smaller rocks (0.5 m to 1 m) might be mapped, especially when there are no other boulders in the vicinity. Boulders on a slope might be indicated in the control descriptions with two heights, representing the uphill and downhill sides.

Fences: All the courses will have to cross fences. It might not be possible to cross the fence everywhere: the lowest barbed wire might be too close to the ground, or there might be lots of undergrowth (often poison oak). Especially on Day #1, Green, Red, and Blue runners will have to roll under some fences.

Trails: Some mapped trails are no longer used, and may be partially overgrown and appear less distinct than mapped. These "orphaned" trails are often mapped without a clear beginning or end, and appear on the map as lost trail segments.

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¹ Calero County Park is a facility of the County of Santa Clara Regional Parks and Recreation System.